Author and host of the hit OUTDOOR CHANNEL show SHOOTING GALLERY spouts off...

Friday, February 28, 2014

Rob Pincus for NRA Board of Directors

I note that my friend Rob Pincus is making a write-in run for the 76th seat (the one chosen by attendees at the Convention) on the NRA Board of Directors. You can read all about it here.

I unconditionally support Rob Pincus' run and urge that you do the same!

Why? Because Rob will always stand up...he eats, sleeps, breaths and, most importantly, believes in the Gun Culture and the RKBA. Perhaps most importantly, Rob can be a spectacular pain in the ass to the Powers-That-Be, and that is exactly the kind of person we need promoting our interests.

25 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I am more than a bit uncomfortable with Mr. Pincus’ seeming distaste for the Open Carry segment of our community. While I do not often carry in this manner, Mr. Pincus has offered a few disdainful remarks on The truth about guns, opencarry.org at least. I find this sort of divisiveness in our community less than desirable for a person to sit on the NRA board.

Also, the name “Pincus” is curiously absent from the public comments opposing BATFE’s attempt to expand CLEO sign offs to NFA trusts. Perhaps he did submit comments and BATFE has not published, but other big names in the gun rights community are represented.

I feel that just the open carry issue disqualifies my support for Mr. Pincus. Still, I’d hope that he did in fact publicly comment in opposition to BATFE’s latest attempt to impose their will.

I also support Rob Pincus' pursuit of the BoD of the NRA. For those who have an issue with his open carry stance should look in to the reason why. He is unabashed in his opinion.He is a champion of concealed carry and practices what he preaches.Go Rob.

Rob and I have had the OC discussion many times. I believe Rob's statement on the issue is pretty clear and unequivocal:

http://www.icetraining.info/rob-pincus-on-open-carry/

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He and I do disagree on the utility of Open Carry. Doesn't mean he isn't 100% committed to the Cause.

Also, I don't believe in "litmus tests"...honestly, I'm not sure whether I commented on the CLEO sign-off issue, although I'm pretty sure you know where I stand on the issue. I know that Pincus did some 100+ radio and television interviews in 2013 supporting RKBA. Beats the heck out of spending 2 minutes writing a comment that the ATF doesn't give a damn about.

I'll support him. On an analogy to the open carry issue and advancing the cause I'm not sure being on the NRA Board and getting in their face - as open carry demonstrations do - is the most productive way to go.

Frankly with the large board and executive committee and Seattle final roll back on the Cincinnati reforms I don't see the NRA board as much but a way to honor folks. For sure Rob Pincus is about as far from the typical pre-Cincinnati board as it's possible to get FWIW

I do hope Pete Brownell when his turn at the top comes shows some of the resolve and drive of his father and grandfather before him in supporting the RKBA cause and shooting sports in general.

My concern is that I perceive that Rob Pincus is a "defense" guy more than a gun guy.

By that I mean that my impression is that he has a very narrow, utilitarian view of firearms. I get the impression that he has a few Glocks and ARs that he point shoots at close range and only uses store bought ammunition. It seems as though he doesn't shoot for fun or sport, or own lots of different guns because they're his hobby or lifestyle choice.

The few times that I've heard him on radio shows he has bent over backward to stay out of discussions involving gun rights politics.

Thanks for the support, Michael and others! The OC issue has been covered to death. I have very clearly stated that I am 100% anti-OC-Activism, but 100% for the right to OC. It's a distinction that some people miss.

As for my Political Commentary, I'd encourage more research. Check out the Firearms Owbers a Unification Project back in the 90's up to the MANY radio interviews that are available as online podcasts from the year of political turmoil that followed Sandy Hook.

Lastly, as for "fun with guns"... Wow, you might want to check out my social media feeds! Just yesterday I was shooting targets out at 1 mile with friends... Not much narrow, utilitarian, defensive application there... I''ve got a lot more in my collection than Glocks and ARs, though I DO believe the bottom line reason for gun rights in this country comes down to Defense.

Having listened to, watched, talked to, and read Rob Pincus I have no doubts that he will be one of our best advocates on the NRA board. I support him fully and can not think of anything that would sway that.

As to the open carry, my perception that it is not our freedoms that will suffer. Spend a little time in "Pincus World." Rob has zero tolerance for idiots, and that is all those looking for confrontation are. Also, from a purely self defense point of view the element of surprise affords an armed citizen to act prudently: Whether it is avoiding the confrontation; escaping the situation; allowing the situation to play out until you know what is happening; allowing the situation to defuse; or to afford the best opportunity for the defender to act; concealed is the best option. Why give up all of your advantage in favor of making a political statement that "scares the sheep."

Mr. Pincus may not see the usefulness of open carry for defensive purposes because it is very difficult to quantify how often someone is not targeted because they are open carrying. I do know that there are almost no cases of open carriers being attacked because they are carrying or having their guns taken by bad guys.

But all of that is not that relevant. What we want on the NRA BOD is someone who believes in the entire range of the 2nd Amendment and firearms, including personal defense, competitive shooting, RKBA, hunting and access to NFA devices.

He has my vote. From watching him on the Best Defense, his DVD series, having read his books and shared a beer with you and him at last years, Michael buys the beer party in Houston, Rob is exactly the person who needs to be on the board! Go Rob!

Pincus has stated his opinion on open carry. I am good with that. My opinion is much like Robs, I don't appreciate the militant open carry crowd, who want to film confrontations with the police. This does nothing but hurt our cause.

I open carry at times, but I don't go into Starbucks with 30 of my friends! How did that work out for us?

I agree with Michael Bane. If Rob didn't do a public comment on the NFA trust issue, I'll gladly give him a pass. Because in 2013, while our rights were under vicious attack, Pincus did hundreds of radio and tv interviews and did more to protect gun rights than most of us can ever dream of doing. His reputation and his ability to present common sense ideas to the other side, is outstanding.

Lastly, Rob being called an idiot by Bette Middler and that the Huffington Post went into meltdown last year, over his gun safes in kids rooms comment, is enough for me to support him in anything he pursues! LOL.

1) Public comments absolutely do work:http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_33/Single-Voice-Sinks-Coast-Guard-Rule-208928-1.html

Before the Coburn amendment to the credit card act which passed and eventually ended the NPS ban on carried firearms, numerous grassroots groups had petitioned the Interior Dept. to change the regulations. Most regulations generate less than 100 public comments. The NPS rule change generated over 32,000, with our side prevailing by somewhere around 2.5 to 1. NRA submitted comments which endorsed language that prohibited open carry and added an “analogous state lands requirement”. This is public record. Many state level, non NRA affiliates objected in the public comments and thankfully, DOI did the right thing and stripped out at least the ’state lands’ language.

2) The NRA needs leadership that respects all aspects of the firearms community, not just the hunters and concealed carry supporters. We almost lost carry in National Parks because of their institutional objection to open carry: http://www.redstate.com/diary/erick/2010/07/13/shocking-emails-show-national-rifle-association-worked-to-prohibit-rifles-from-national-parks/

3) ATF has been very active in recent years administratively. Multiple Sales of Certain Rifles, shotgun importation and now trying to require the CLEO signature on trust transfers.

Not commenting on these efforts hurts us all. Prince Law Firm has put out extensive materials on why these comments are needed, not just to express opposition but to lay the groundwork for legal challenges in the event ATF acts anyway.

I think very much that in seeking a board seat on the premiere civil rights organization in the USA, a record of supporting those rights, or a “litmus test” if you will, is significant. Overlooking significant attempts to deprive gun owners of our rights is huge. Nobody can be plugged into everything that’s going on, sure. However, gun rights 2.0 makes it easy to participate, you just have to be willing to try.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxvOjO7XjMU

foolish, ass-clownery, if we were using these terms to define 3 gunners, would that be acceptable? What about gun bloggers? Hunters? NFA owners?The point of this video seemed to be to express disapproval of open carry, not using that method of carry as a means of political speech and to discourage generally the practice.

As a professional trainer, he can and does make cogent points about what he believes. I frankly agree with some of his points, especially getting trained. Those who would take away our freedom if they could thoroughly enjoy this type of division in our community.

That kind of divisiveness is on par with Jim Zumbo, Dick Metcalf and a host of others.

Anon...I don't agree with you. Real activism — not just logging onto an Internet site and adding your name — is hard, painful and often costly financially, professionally and in terms of sheer exhaustion.

Rob has been in the trenches, donating his time (and when you're self-employed, time is quite literally money), his efforts, his cash, his reputation, his skills to the RKBA Cause.

I actually just erased everything else I wrote in this post because it was more hurtful than I intended...suffice to say we have all paid a price in time, money and mental anguish for our activism...we have little sympathy for those who would judge us based on 10 minutes on the Internet.

Ok. Here's my second crack at this one.I took a class from Rob about 5 years ago and I learned much. I still highly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn how to carry.

I think Rob's positions on OC, NFA issues and other items are germane to the question of whether he is the best candidate to represent NRA members on the BOD.

I am troubled by his comments on some OC activists though. I see the carry movement as a civil rights movement, whether he or anyone wants to believe this or not. I liken some of his comments akin to telling Rosa Parks to sit in the back of the bus because she's going to make the rest of the African Americans look bad to white America.

But to be fair to him, he's just one voice among millions of the majority of gun owners today who believe like he does.

I'm not sure if he is the best candidate, but I will give it more thought.

Rob has my vote! I have read his writings, watched his DVDs and listen his interviews. I don't agree with everything he says, but I don't always agree anyone. He will give the BOD his opinion it a straight forward way.